The Complete List of Caveats
As a relative newcomer on the mobile phone landscape, Republic Wireless still has some technical issues to resolve. While the service works well enough for most, some have not been pleased. This article is intended to help you determine, before you commit funds and time or leave your current provider, whether you will be happy with the service. Despite Republic's generous 30-day trial period that carries a full refund guarantee if not satisifed, some have been upset to find out the things noted below that Republic does not advertise when you sign up, and have cancelled their membership as a result. If you do decide to try Republic, it is important to remember this most important caveat - cancelling your membership after the trial period means you have purchased a phone that cannot be used by anyone on any cellular service, including Republic Wireless. A Republic phone without an active membership is a small and expensive Android tablet. After cancelling your Republic Wireless service, you cannot re activate the service without buying a new phone. Seems crazy, but that the way it currently works. So when you receive your phone, be sure to test it thoroughly during the 30 day trial period. Visit places where you expect to have cell service. Use Wi-Fi everywhere you can, especially for voice calls. Make use of all the features you expect or have become accustomed to using on your present phone. Here are the rest of the major caveats to look out for: *Beta - The word Beta appears in the Republic Wireless logo because this is a small startup operation with technology, infrastructure, and staff that are not quite ready for "prime time". If you need a high quality and highly reliable mobile phone service for emergencies or for business, Republic Wireless may not be the best choice for you at this time. *Phone - The only phone currently available, Motorola's Defy XT557D, is an entry level Android 2.3 smartphone. It will likely never be upgraded to Android 4.x. Battery life is acceptable when used primarily on Wi-Fi, but when used for 3G data or when cell service is weak, the battery fades quickly. The built-in flash memory is minimal, and those who install many apps may need to complete an Android developer's hack in order to install more apps. If you've never had a smartphone, you may not be concerned with the memory limitation at first. Rooting the phone is possible but not recommended, since there is no recovery ROM that can be flashed to recover from a fatal misstep'''. '''Better phones have been promised by the late summer of 2013. *Wi-Fi Calling - .The signature feature of Republic's service is still being improved and debugged. When it doesn't work properly, finding the solution may require technical skill and patience. The Republic Community forum can often help, but for some, upgrading or replacing home Wi-Fi equipment may be the easiest solution. At a school or business, you may need help from whoever manages the network for that establishment. *Cell Service - The cell network used by Republic is the same as that used by Sprint's customers, which is generally ranked at or near the bottom among major players in JD Power's 2013 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study While it is quite adequate for many, your location may or may not have good signal strength. Zoom in on this map to check Sprint's estimated coverage in your area. *Messaging - Lack of messaging features compared to other carriers is a frequent complaint. At this time, there is no support for sending or receiving pictures via text message, or MMS (Multimedia Message Service). Lack of MMS support means that you may also miss group messages sent from iPhones, even when no picture is included. In defending their lack of priority to implement MMS, Republic has stated that they believe use of MMS is declining (attribution needed) so future support for MMS is in doubt at this time. There is also no support for "short codes" (5 or 6 digit numbers), which causes issues for many automatic texting services. Finally, there is no e-mail to text gateway, which means you can't receive texts from services that use E-mail to send it, or, which need the carrier's name in order to send a text. *Voicemail - In its current state, the voicemail service lacks features found in most other carriers' voicemail systems and has a number of unfixed bugs. Rather than put up with the issues, some have chosen to use a third party voicemail service (Google Voice). Voicemail improvements are supposed to be coming soon. *Technical Support - There is no phone number to call, so all requests for assistance must be submitted through the company's website. At the website, the fastest response is generally obtained through the online Community forums, where support is provided by other Republic members (all volunteers), overseen by a few Republic personnel. Some problems require direct assistance from Republic personnel, which can only be obtained by opening a support ticket at the website (or optionally by E-mail, Twitter, or snail mail). Support ticket answers are sent via E-mail, and can also be seen by checking ticket status at the website. Republic's support center is not staffed 24x7, so if you need help right away that only Republic can provide, this carrier may not be a good match for you. On the positive side, Republic has been pretty good about sending out replacement phones with overnight shipping when the phone's issues are deemed not otherwise fixable via phone (RW can call you) or e-mail instruction. *Customer Service - The same contact methods as Technical Support apply. After an account is cancelled, the website is not available to submit or track requests, so ex-customers must use E-mail or post in the forums to get Republic's attention. There have been numerous incidents of accidental double-billing, continued billing after account cancellation, and long-delayed refunds, but there aren't believed to be any customers who didn't get their refunds eventually. The above items are only the major issues experienced by Republic's members. For more on the known issues and missing features, see Current open or unsolved issues and Feature Requests. Despite all this, it's important to note that the majority of members continue using Republic's service due to the low cost and freedom from extra charges or limits. Admittedly, this is not a Cadillac service. It is more like a Fiat. If you're not afraid to stick your head under the hood and tweak the motor, you can get to where you're going at a fraction of the cost of other carriers.